Sunday, May 26, 2013

What is there to say, they're concrete pork chops. Consistent with the theme of greed that's running through some if my work I'm again employing the symbol of the pig, or in this case one if it's products. The challenge set was to create a sculpture using concrete. I have a fair bit of experience with this medium through my structural work, though it is more theoretical than practical. The original chop was sculpted in clay from which I took a plaster mould .There was a small issue of bubbles in the concrete but I managed better on the second attempt and the two part glass coat finish filled most voids anyway. I had planned to finish them monotone pink but they just didn't look right so they've ended up with a more realistic treatment. A little kitsch maybe, but I do love the gooey shiny finish.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Pigs trotter is complete. This was carved from a solid cylinder of plaster 24cm high and 10cm in diameter. In the end I decided to finish it gloss white, the better to accentuate the form. I sealed this piece with polyester laminating resin (fibreglass resin) partly because that's what I have lying around but also as it worked quite well on the pork chop mould. This time there was some strange bubbling as the resin cured, much of which I sanded out but what remains gives a nice texture in places, like skin.

The real pigs trotter, which is about half the length of the finished sculpture, lasted several weeks when treated according to the butchers instructions. By the time I got around to photographing it, it really had gone bad though. So I left it wrapped in cling film and unceremoniously turfed it out on bin night.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The launch for Jennifer Collin's new book Set me free is on this Sunday 19th May at Love Love Studio in Teneriffe Brisbane at 3:00pm. I have knocked up these framed prints based on the cover design and other promotional material which will be available for purchase on the day. These are photographic prints in salvage frames around 55cm x 70cm and will be going for a pretty reasonable price which I will probably decide on the day.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Another one of those weeks where a lot goes on and nothing happens. I cut these pork chop stencils and tried them out with an ink roller on watercolour paper but it didn't really work. I ended up dabbing pigment through the stencil with a tissue and adding outlines with a nikko pen. Not sure where I'm going with that (if anywhere) just yet but they look alright.

The trotter sculpt is coming along. It takes a couple of weeks before the plaster is dry enough for sandpaper so after carving with chisels, it spent a long time just drying out. A few days of which it sat out in the sunshine cause wet plaster can start smelling a lot like wet dog. Did I mention that I bought a real pigs trotter from the butcher for reference? After a couple of weeks, it started smelling bad too. But a scrub with bleach and new cling wrap should get it through till the end of the job.

In the last few weeks I've also made a mould of a giant pork chop. This one started as a clay sculpt. The plaster mould is now dry and I sealed it with polyester laminating resin (fibre glass resin left over from the ghost fish sculpture). Its about 40cm long and 7cm deep adn is now filled with concrete. Hopefully will pull that tomorrow and fingers crossed the cast comes out clean and the mould is undamaged.